In order to make a new wireless device usable for communications over a wireless network operated by service provider, it is customarily required to have the wireless service provider associate the device's unique identifier (e.g., an electronic serial number (ESN) for a cellular telephone or a media access control (MAC) address for a personal computer) with a service plan stored in the service provider's system, so that voice and/or data communications services of various types may be made over the service provider's system to and from the device and so that services contracted for and used by the device may be properly accounted for and billed by the service provider. Where the device is a mobile telephone, calls are made by entering a unique access number or identifier (such as a telephone number, a mobile identification number (MIN) or an IP address) that has been assigned to the device by the service provider's network, which also may be used to uniquely associate the device with services in a service plan. Where a new device is substituted for an existing device, it is also customarily required to have the wireless service provider transfer stored personal information (e.g., data constituting an existing personal telephone directory, photographs or music or other files) from the old device to the new device, and then to take further steps to deprovision or deactivate the old device.
A problem with this arrangement is that it requires the service provider to know in advance that an exchange of devices is to take place and to be involved as an active participant at every key step, with the service provider often supplying the new wireless device, or at the very least dictating conditions or imposing fees whenever it is desired to place a new device in service. The user often has little if any freedom of choice or control over the exchange, including its timing.
Accordingly, there is a need to provide a method for enabling a new wireless device to be placed into service that can be initiated by and is under the control of the user of an existing device. There is a further need to provide for transfer of activation which allows the user to select the device to which the transfer is to be made, to select the time at which the transfer is to be made, and to select personal information to be transferred, and to effect the transfer largely without the active intervention of the service provider and without interaction with the service provider's employees.
There is a further need to provide wireless devices and wireless communications systems arranged and configured to allow such a self-provisioning method to be employed.
There is a further need to provide computer programs residing in or downloaded to wireless devices, and residing in wireless networks, to allow such a self-provisioning method to be employed substantially automatically by the user.